Audie Murphy

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"I never liked being called the `most decorated' soldier. There were so many guys who should have gotten medals and never did -- guys who were killed" ("Audie Murphy." Contemporary).  Audie Murphy was born on June 20, 1924 in Kingston, Texas"(Audie Murphy Research).  He was the most decorated soldier in World War II.  On June 2, 1945, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor a soldier can receive.  Murphy was famous for his exploits on the battlefield.  He was said to have killed more than 200 Nazis.  Most of his heroics took place in Europe during World War II.  Audie Murphy was a man known to run into action with courage, showing no fear on the battlefield ("Audie Murphy").  A hero must demonstrate many attributes, including selflessly looking out for others and exhibiting courage in the face of extreme danger.  Audie Murphy was a man who ran into battle with courage, yet stayed completely selfless to his fellow men and his devotion to his fellow soldiers was legendary.

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Audie Murphy demonstrated courage on the battlefield by showing courage and fearlessness in circumstances that seemed completely hopeless.  For example, during one battle, "he ran over, jumped on the tank destroyer's turret, and started firing the machine gun as he continued to direct the ongoing artillery barrage"("Audie Murphy." Contemporary).  It took incredible courage to jump onto a burning tank and attack enemy soldiers while his fellow soldiers were in full retreat.  Murphy was incredibly courageous to put himself at great personal risk to save his battalion.  If it wasn't for his mighty courage, his men would not have lived to see another day.  Another example of his courage on the battlefield came when "the Germans showered Allied ground troops with artillery fire, but nineteen year old Murphy distinguished himself when he stepped up to lead his men after his company commander was wounded"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  In other words, in a situation where most 19 year olds would panic, after their leader was wounded, he showed incredible courage to step up and lead his fellow soldiers.  He ran into battle towards enemy fire to save his men.  He demonstrated bravery by having no apparent fear of death.  Another instance where Murphy demonstrated his courage was when his men were being overrun. "Ordering his men to retreat, Murphy stayed and directed artillery fire into the area while emptying his gun at the advancing Germans"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  Murphy demonstrated fearlessness by holding off the Germans while his men retreated.  He was the last person to leave.  The average man would not have the courage or selflessness to stay in battle while everyone broke and ran, but Audie Murphy was not an average man.  He courageously put others before himself.  Courage is not something you just have,  but something you must demonstrate.  

Audie Murphy was a selfless man who constantly put himself at risk to save others.  His heroics almost didn't happen.  For when he was 17 years old, he tried to join the Marines.  The Marines rejected him because he was too small and too light.  "He tried again after he turned eighteen. The Marines still weren't interested, but on June 30, 1942, he was officially inducted into the Army and immediately sent to boot camp for combat infantry training"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  He was selfless because he volunteered for the Army to protect the people of his country.  He put others first, no matter the circumstances.  To volunteer yourself into conditions that can cause death shows great nobility.  After arriving in Europe, he showed his worth as a soldier "including one instance in which he raced to the front lines to lead his beloved Company B out of danger"("Audie Murphy." Contemporary).  He ran into battle to save others at the risk of losing his own life.  Murphy valued his men's lives more than his own.  Audie Murphy was selfless in that he made the lives of his soldiers his first priority.

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Audie Murphy showed incredible devotion to his men through his actions, and refused to lose to the Germans.  He never stopped fighting for his men, even after being injured.  "The injury did not require medical attention, so he kept fighting"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  He showed devotion to his men to keep fighting for them even with a bullet wound.  Murphy never gave up, because he was devoted to the idea of keeping his fellow soldiers alive.  Audie Murphy also showed devotion to his men by being the first person to expose himself to danger to try to destroy possible harmful things to his men.  "His second (medal) was awarded for actions he took to destroy a well-camouflaged machine-gun and sniper outpost"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  He destroyed Germans that would have killed some of his men if it wasn't for him.  Audie Murphy showed allegiance to his men to keep them safe at all costs.  The soldiers in Audie Murphy's company must have felt that they were in good hands because of his continuous demonstrations of courage and hard work.  Murphy also showed devotion to his men when he was near the Rhine River in Europe.  "Murphy then threw himself back into battle, hammering at the Germans as they retreated east toward the Rhine River"("Audie Murphy." Encyclopedia).  He knew that by aggressively fighting the Germans himself, he could keep them from doing harm to his soldiers.  He took the risks so they wouldn't have to.  He showed great devotion to his men by doing whatever it took to keep them as safe as possible.